Budget Beauty, At Home Beauty Treatments Day

As I mentioned in my recent post Using Beauty to Manage Pain, I love having at home beauty day.  I thought I would take the time to go into more detail about some of the things I like to do to pamper myself.  Between my sister, my friends and myself we have a large selection of products for beauty day.  So I am just going to focus on the products I used most recently.  It seems like we prefer to do at home beauty day in the evening when I already have makeup on.  So job #1 is to start with a clean face. Currently, I am using and loving Maybelline's Clean Express! eye makeup remover.  Using a cotton ball and a light hand this easily removes all of my waterproof eye makeup. I always wear waterproof makeup as I have weepy eyes.  It's good, effective and inexpensive.  $4.99 at Target. 

Next up is a good makeup removing wipe.  Currently, it's the Garnier Refreshing Remover Cleansing Towelettes. These are great at removing the rest of my makeup without being drying.  My skin is normal without being sensitive, oily or particularly dry.  I am not loyal to one brand as I haven't found any that are amazingly better than any others.   I would repurchase Garnier again and actually already have another package of these in reserve.  $5.99 at Ulta.

I would now like you to meet my new friend, L'Oreal Ideal Clean Foaming Gel Cleanser.  I had some great coupons for any L'Oreal cleanser and I purchased this gem for only $0.99.  Normally, it's only $4.99 which is still a great price for a really nice cleanser.  It's just a simple cleanser and doesn't have any bells and whistles.  It leaves my face feeling really, really clean without feeling dry or tight.  It doesn't have a smell and it lathers well.  If you are looking for a great basic cleanser and a great price look no further than L'Oreal Ideal Clean.  When I purchased this I wasn't expecting much as it is the least expensive cleanser in L'Oreal's line.  But I have really been surprised by how much I am really enjoying this cleanser.   I can see myself repurchasing this time and time again. $4.99 at CVS.

This chronic beauty does not have the budget for a Clarisonic; but I still want to be able to achieve the benefits of deep cleaning with gentle exfoliation.  If you are old enough to remember the Buff Puff; then you will probably also remember these.  They are a single use Self Foaming Facial Pads which gently exfoliates. They are a 2"x2" square of slightly scratchy material with which you wash your face.  I feel like there is not quite enough cleanser in each pad so I will put dab of the L'Oreal cleanser on it just to give extra foaming, cleansing goodness. Plus, I really, really like the L'Oreal cleanser. So any excuse to use it again is good by me. Whenever I share these guys for beauty day everyone always enjoys how smooth it leaves their skin.  Plus since they are single use, it's use and toss.  $3.99 at CVS in their store brand. 

Then we move on to a great face mask.  I will admit that I love the Freeman Facial Masks.  These are by far my favorite face masks.  I just can't justify paying more when these work so well and come in so many great varieties.  At any given time I usually have three or four of these to choose from.  I have tried most of the varieties and will continue to purchase them.  I will advise you that if you choose a peel off mask be extra careful not to get your hair in it because it hurts when you peel it off. $3.99 at CVS. 

Once the clay mask is ready to be removed, I love using the Hydrating Daily Facials Cloths.  These are dry towelettes that you run under water to activate the cleanser contained within.  I love using these to wash all of the clay mask off; simply because, you can then throw it away.  It holds together really well and is able to wipe away even the toughest dried on clay mask.  I have and do use them to take off my makeup but they are perfect for removing clay masks.  This is the CVS version which retails for $4.79. 

Like I said earlier typically we end up doing at home spa treatments in the evening and now is when we come to the part where we add a rich cream to our skin to give our skin some hydration.  Currently, I am loving L'Oreal Advanced Revitalift Night Cream.  I find that this thick, rich cream leaves my skin feeling soft and silky.  Plus, it also has anti-wrinkle and firming properties which is important especially now that I'm over 40. $16.99 at CVS. 

If we happen to do this on a Saturday morning the cream I would reach for then is the Lumene Pure Radiance Day Cream because it has SPF in it.  This is another thick, rich, luxurious cream with a slight citrus smell to it.  My after it sinks into my skin it always feels so smooth. This is just a sample size I received but I really enjoy the cream. It's not an everyday moisturizer for me but it is perfect for at home spa day.  $19.99 at CVS. 

This is just the face portion of our at home spa treatments.  We usually do manicures and pedicures, as well.  Sometimes we go all out and color our hair or do deep conditioning hair masks.  At some point in the future I will also do posts about the goodies we use for nails and hair.  As you can clearly see I love using drugstore products for our at home spa treatments.  This allows us to purchase several products so that we can have a selection on hand instead of using the exact same products every time.  Also, my sister and I are avid couponers and we purchased everything above using a discount.  Even without discounts, if you chose either a day or a night cream and one face mask then everything above would cost less than $40.00! An excellent bargain considering you will get several uses out of all of the products above.